If you decide you want to use a secure messaging app, here are some factors you might consider:

How secure is the program? Does it send your messages in plaintext or does it encrypt your communications?

How user friendly is it?

How many people overall use it? A good rule for security and privacy: do not be an early adapter! Let somebody else work the bugs out. The number of users should be at least several thousand.

What do users say about using it? Make sure you read both positive and negative comments. Test drive it before you trust it.

How many people do you know who use it? Could you persuade your family and friends to use it?

How much does it cost?

What happens to the message if the receiver is not using the same program as the sender?

Does it notify you first and offer other message delivery options or does the message encryption fail?

For those cases where the encryption fails, does the message not get sent or is it sent and stored unencrypted on the other end?

Will it work on other platforms besides yours? Android, iOS, Blackberry, Windows, etc.

Does the app include an anonymizer, such as Tor?

While the app itself may not cost, consider whether the messages will be sent using data or SMS? Will it cost you money from that standpoint?

The Electronic Freedom Foundation recently published an article called “The Secure Messaging Scorecard” that might help you find an app that meets your needs. Here are a few of the protocols used by the applications listed in the article:

I picked out a few apps that met all of their parameters, and put together some notes on cost, protocols, and platforms. While I have not used any of them, I am looking forward to testing them, and will let you know how it goes.